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In
Memory of Robert O. Washington 1935-2000
Robert
O. Washington, coeditor for the ACSP’s Journal of Planning Education and
Research for the past four years, died on June 20 of complications from diabetes
and kidney disease. He was 65. Bob
Washington began his career as assistant dean of Milwaukee Area Technical
College in the 1950s. During the 1960s, he was a civil rights activist and the
editor and publisher of several Milwaukee newspapers. At the same time, he began
his graduate studies, receiving his master’s in social psychology from
Marquette University in 1968 and his Ph.D. in social planning from Brandeis
University in 1973. After serving on several faculties, Dr. Washington became
dean in the College of Social Work at the Ohio State University and later held
the same position in the School of Social Work at the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign. He came to the University of New Orleans in 1988 as dean of
the Graduate School and vice-chancellor for Graduate Studies and Research, then
moved to full-time teaching at the university’s College of Urban and Public
Affairs. Bob
Washington was a social planner whose compassion was reflected in his research
interests—child welfare, the design and evaluation of human services systems,
environmental equity, violence as a public health issue. It’s this compassion,
his big heart, that most people mention when they talk about Bob. In contrast to
his imposing physical presence, compassion and fairness were evident in Bob’s
voice and eyes and the way he treated everyone, without regard to station or
standing, with respect. He
also had the strength of character to act on his compassion. He was a moral
compass, a leader who could be counted on to act with integrity as well as
pragmatism. His understanding of justice and equality was innate; it went beyond
even the lofty concepts he taught in his classes. In
the words of coeditor Mickey Lauria, speaking at a recent memorial service:
“Bob had much wisdom, but never offered advice. When asked, he was always
generous with his time and his knowledge. He valued people
as individuals and recognized the power of the individual to improve himself and
give to others.” Dr. Washington
had tremendous dignity. During a long hospital stay at the end of his life, he
insisted on adjudicating manuscripts for JPER. He insisted, up until the end,
that he would be coming back to work. I never heard him complain about the pain
or reveal a trace of self-pity. He
is survived by seven children, countless students who benefited from teachings,
and countless others who, like all of us who worked with him, learned from his
example. To
institutionally keep his memory alive, the faculty have established a Robert O.
Washington Professorship/Scholarship Fund.
Donations can be made to the UNO Foundation with reference to the
Washington Professorship/Scholarship Fund at
Alumni and Development Center, University of New Orleans, New Orleans,
Louisiana 70148.
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